How to schedule and automate backups of SQL Server databases in SQL Server Express

Create store procedure.

// Copyright © Microsoft Corporation.  All Rights Reserved.
// This code released under the terms of the
// Microsoft Public License (MS-PL, http://opensource.org/licenses/ms-pl.html.)
USE [master] 
GO 
/****** Object:  StoredProcedure [dbo].[sp_BackupDatabases] ******/ 
SET ANSI_NULLS ON 
GO 
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON 
GO 
 
-- ============================================= 
-- Author: Microsoft 
-- Create date: 2010-02-06
-- Description: Backup Databases for SQLExpress
-- Parameter1: databaseName 
-- Parameter2: backupType F=full, D=differential, L=log
-- Parameter3: backup file location
-- =============================================
 
CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[sp_BackupDatabases]  
            @databaseName sysname = null,
            @backupType CHAR(1),
            @backupLocation nvarchar(200) 
AS 
 
       SET NOCOUNT ON; 
           
            DECLARE @DBs TABLE
            (
                  ID int IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY,
                  DBNAME nvarchar(500)
            )
           
             -- Pick out only databases which are online in case ALL databases are chosen to be backed up
             -- If specific database is chosen to be backed up only pick that out from @DBs
            INSERT INTO @DBs (DBNAME)
            SELECT Name FROM master.sys.databases
            where state=0
            AND name=@DatabaseName
            OR @DatabaseName IS NULL
            ORDER BY Name
           
            -- Filter out databases which do not need to backed up
            IF @backupType='F'
                  BEGIN
                  DELETE @DBs where DBNAME IN ('tempdb','Northwind','pubs','AdventureWorks')
                  END
            ELSE IF @backupType='D'
                  BEGIN
                  DELETE @DBs where DBNAME IN ('tempdb','Northwind','pubs','master','AdventureWorks')
                  END
            ELSE IF @backupType='L'
                  BEGIN
                  DELETE @DBs where DBNAME IN ('tempdb','Northwind','pubs','master','AdventureWorks')
                  END
            ELSE
                  BEGIN
                  RETURN
                  END
           
            -- Declare variables
            DECLARE @BackupName varchar(100)
            DECLARE @BackupFile varchar(100)
            DECLARE @DBNAME varchar(300)
            DECLARE @sqlCommand NVARCHAR(1000) 
        DECLARE @dateTime NVARCHAR(20)
            DECLARE @Loop int                  
                       
            -- Loop through the databases one by one
            SELECT @Loop = min(ID) FROM @DBs
 
      WHILE @Loop IS NOT NULL
      BEGIN
 
-- Database Names have to be in [dbname] format since some have - or _ in their name
      SET @DBNAME = '['+(SELECT DBNAME FROM @DBs WHERE ID = @Loop)+']'
 
-- Set the current date and time n yyyyhhmmss format
      SET @dateTime = REPLACE(CONVERT(VARCHAR, GETDATE(),101),'/','') + '_' +  REPLACE(CONVERT(VARCHAR, GETDATE(),108),':','')  
 
-- Create backup filename in path\filename.extension format for full,diff and log backups
      IF @backupType = 'F'
            SET @BackupFile = @backupLocation+REPLACE(REPLACE(@DBNAME, '[',''),']','')+ '_FULL_'+ @dateTime+ '.BAK'
      ELSE IF @backupType = 'D'
            SET @BackupFile = @backupLocation+REPLACE(REPLACE(@DBNAME, '[',''),']','')+ '_DIFF_'+ @dateTime+ '.BAK'
      ELSE IF @backupType = 'L'
            SET @BackupFile = @backupLocation+REPLACE(REPLACE(@DBNAME, '[',''),']','')+ '_LOG_'+ @dateTime+ '.TRN'
 
-- Provide the backup a name for storing in the media
      IF @backupType = 'F'
            SET @BackupName = REPLACE(REPLACE(@DBNAME,'[',''),']','') +' full backup for '+ @dateTime
      IF @backupType = 'D'
            SET @BackupName = REPLACE(REPLACE(@DBNAME,'[',''),']','') +' differential backup for '+ @dateTime
      IF @backupType = 'L'
            SET @BackupName = REPLACE(REPLACE(@DBNAME,'[',''),']','') +' log backup for '+ @dateTime
 
-- Generate the dynamic SQL command to be executed
 
       IF @backupType = 'F' 
                  BEGIN
               SET @sqlCommand = 'BACKUP DATABASE ' +@DBNAME+  ' TO DISK = '''+@BackupFile+ ''' WITH INIT, NAME= ''' +@BackupName+''', NOSKIP, NOFORMAT'
                  END
       IF @backupType = 'D'
                  BEGIN
               SET @sqlCommand = 'BACKUP DATABASE ' +@DBNAME+  ' TO DISK = '''+@BackupFile+ ''' WITH DIFFERENTIAL, INIT, NAME= ''' +@BackupName+''', NOSKIP, NOFORMAT'        
                  END
       IF @backupType = 'L' 
                  BEGIN
               SET @sqlCommand = 'BACKUP LOG ' +@DBNAME+  ' TO DISK = '''+@BackupFile+ ''' WITH INIT, NAME= ''' +@BackupName+''', NOSKIP, NOFORMAT'        
                  END
 
-- Execute the generated SQL command
       EXEC(@sqlCommand)
 
-- Goto the next database
SELECT @Loop = min(ID) FROM @DBs where ID>@Loop
 
END

How to execute store proc and create batch file for windows task scheduler or create a job in SQL server Agent.

Example1: Full backups of all databases in the local named instance of SQLEXPRESS by using Windows Authentication

// Sqlbackup.bat

sqlcmd -S .\EXPRESS –E -Q “EXEC sp_BackupDatabases @backupLocation=’D:\SQLBackups\’, @backupType=’F'”

Example2: Differential backups of all databases in the local named instance of SQLEXPRESS by using a SQLLogin and its password

// Sqlbackup.bat

sqlcmd -U SQLLogin -P password -S .\SQLEXPRESS -Q “EXEC sp_BackupDatabases @backupLocation =’D:\SQLBackups’, @BackupType=’D’”

Note: The SQLLogin shouldhave at least the Backup Operator role in SQL Server.

Example 3: Log backups of all databases in local named instance of SQLEXPRESS by using Windows Authentication

// Sqlbackup.bat

sqlcmd -S .\SQLEXPRESS -E -Q “EXEC sp_BackupDatabases @backupLocation=’D:\SQLBackups\’,@backupType=’L'”

Example 4: Full backups of the database USERDB in the local named instance of SQLEXPRESS by using Windows Authentication

// Sqlbackup.bat

sqlcmd -S .\SQLEXPRESS -E -Q “EXEC sp_BackupDatabases @backupLocation=’D:\SQLBackups\’, @databaseName=’USERDB’, @backupType=’F'”

Similarly, you can make a differential backup of USERDB by pasting in ‘D’ for the @backupType parameter and a log backup of USERDB by pasting in ‘L’ for the @backupType parameter.

@@@ 🙂